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GRIP DOWN FOR LASER-LIKE SHORT IRONS

Tour Tip Thursday

If you watch the pros closely, you’ll rarely see them make a full, all-out swing with their wedges or short irons. They usually dial it down to 75 or 80 percent of their full tempo. Why? Because when they’re within striking distance of the pin, distance control is all that matters. And the best way to control your distance is to swing within yourself.

One way to do this is by choking down on the club, gripping halfway down the handle to subtract 5 yards from your approach, or all the way down to the steel to remove 10 yards. This will allow you take the longer club and swing more smoothly and in control, rather than having to go all-out with a shorter club. So if your normal 8-iron carries 150 yards and you need the ball to travel 145 yards, grip halfway down the handle; if you need it to go 140 yards, move your hands to the bottom of the grip. Try this grip switch with all of your scoring clubs and you should start to see a lot more birdie opportunities.